Same-Sex Couples Attempt Marriage, Despite NC's Ban

Two same-sex couples are submitting applications for marriage licenses today, knowing they will be turned down. The couples are heading to courthouses in Wilson and Winston-Salem as part of a movement called "We Do" from the group Campaign for Southern Equality. The organization hosted a similar event last week in Asheville as a protest of North Carolina's constitutional ban of gay marriage. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara is the group's executive director and an openly gay minister in the United Church of Christ.

Jasmine Beach-Ferrara: "We live in every town and city across the South. We're fully equal. We're raising children. And yet, we're second-class citizens under the law. One of the purposes of these actions is to show what happens when these discriminatory laws actually get enforced and harm real people."

Groups that supported North Carolina's Amendment One say same-sex marriages would infringe on their religious beliefs and lead to costly court battles.

Lawmakers in the North Carolina House have passed a bill to let voters decide whether to add an amendment to the state constitution that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. 75 legislators voted in favor of the bill, after three and a half hours of debate.